According to Undark, CWD causes deer to tremble and drool. It often prevents deer from being able to hold their head up and reduces the deer to skin and bone from drastic weight loss.

Eventually, the deer will die.

While there are no known cases of CWD in humans, researchers are wondering if the spread to humans it possible after a study by the Alberta Prion Research Institute found that it was spread to monkies who ate contaminated deer meat.

The monkeys in the study were chosen because of their genetic similarities to humans.

“The assumption was for the longest time that chronic wasting disease was not a threat to human health,” the study’s lead researcher, Stefanie Czub, told The Tyee. “But with the new data, it seems we need to revisit this view to some degree.”

Despite the lack of evidence of the effects of CWD in humans, wildlife experts are taking a “better safe than sorry” approach.